The world's 35 biodiversity hotspots — which harbor 75 percent of the planet's
endangered land vertebrates — are in more trouble than expected, according to a sobering new analysis of remaining primary vegetation.
Yesterday, representatives from the National Park Service, which manages
land on which many of the U.S.'s nearly 400
endangered vertebrate species live, visited the lab to sign an agreement with the museum to allow for storage of DNA samples from these species in the chilly facilities.